Large quantities of harvested grain are typically stored in large bins. Often, grain becomes deposited in such a bin immediately upon being harvested. Such grain must be dried and cured to reduce its moisture content in order to assure safe long term storage.
To assist in this drying process, an operator can install large permanently mounted stirring equipment in the grain bin. Such equipment serves to stir the entire mass of grain stored in the bin. The obtainment and use of such equipment, however, poses certain drawbacks.
In addition to being expensive to purchase and install, such equipment may be relatively expensive to operate. For instance, if only a small area of grain needs to be mixed, much time and energy will be wasted through use of this equipment.
Grain bin operators frequently discover small areas near the upper surface of the grain mass that require mixing in order to permit the drying process to proceed. To date, such operators have a choice of either ignoring the problem and accepting the loss, or of installing and operating the permanently installed mixing apparatus.
There exists a need for a portable spot mixing apparatus that may be used to mix relatively small masses of grain within a grain bin.